1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a vehicle collision protection apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle collision protection apparatus for restricting movement of an object present in a space at the front of a vehicle into a vehicle occupant space during a frontal collision
2. Background Information
In a typical vehicle, such as a car, truck, van, SUV and so on, certain main components are accommodated in a space under the hood at the front of a vehicle. These main components can include, for example, the engine, the heating and cooling system, the power steering system, the power brake system, the transmission and so on. During a frontal collusion, at least some of these components can be displaced backward due to the force of impact that can also crush the vehicle front.
To improve occupant safety, the main components should be prevented from shifting rearward into a vehicle occupant space, such as the vehicle passenger compartment, during a frontal collision. For example, the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater used for air heating in an electric vehicle is typically a high-current heater which produces heat through the use of high-voltage power. A PTC heater typically has a high-strength, high-mass body formed by casting. The PTC heater also has a high-current extraction unit. Accordingly, the PTC heater and its related components should be prevented from penetrating into the occupant space during a frontal collision.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-104354 describes an attachment bracket that is configured to prevent a high-mass body, such as that of a PTC heater, from penetrating into the vehicle occupant space during a collision. In particular, the attachment bracket is configured to break during a collision. A portion of the collision energy is expended by this breakage, thereby reducing the large kinetic energy of the high-mass body.